Rebel Pilot Texas Ranger

by Eve Gaddy

  “Still liking Taos?” She asked the same question every time she talked to them. They’d moved away from Whiskey River not too long after the crash. Her dad had found a better business opportunity in Arizona and they moved after Tobi went back to school. They had been successful in Arizona but rather than retire early, her parents had decided to move to Taos and become caretakers for vacation homes.

  “Love it,” her mother declared.

  They chatted for a little while about work—hers and theirs—and other general topics. Then her mother said, “Did you want to talk about something in particular, Tobi? You sound a little stressed.”

  Understatement.

  “Sounds like girl talk,” her dad said. “I’ll let you and your mom chat without me hanging around. Bye, sweetheart.”

  “Bye, Dad.”

  Her mother switched off speaker mode. “All right. What’s going on? And don’t give me any crap about you just being tired or whatever. I can tell when something is bothering you.”

  “You always could.”

  “Does it have something to do with Travis?”

  She’d told her parents that she and Travis had started dating, but hadn’t elaborated. “Yes. We’ve um, we’ve gotten closer. More serious.”

  “Good. I always thought you and Travis had more of a bond than either of you realized. So what’s the problem?”

  “I’m in love with him,” she said morosely.

  Her mom waited a moment and when Tobi didn’t add anything she asked, “Why do you sound unhappy about it? Is he in love with you?”

  “Yes. He says he is. I tried not to, but I really love him.”

  “And that’s bad because…why?”

  “Mom, he’s a pilot. He flies charter planes and teaches flying.”

  Her mother was silent for a long moment. “Oh…shit. You didn’t mention that before. That’s a problem.” If Tobi hadn’t been so wound up she’d have laughed. “I take it your issue with flying hasn’t gotten better.”

  “No, I think it has. A little, anyway.” She went on to tell her mom about Travis taking her to see the planes and that she’d been able to walk inside both of them. “I thought maybe I could deal with it. With him being a pilot. As long as I don’t have to fly.”

  “But now you don’t think you can.”

  “I don’t know! But he’s out on a charter, and he’s late returning. There are delays at the airport in Shreveport. He said he’d call me when he got back but there’s a storm moving in here and I’m flipping out and imagining—Well, you know what I’m thinking about.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. How can I help?”

  “Tell me it will get better. Tell me I’ll learn to live with it.”

  “Only you can answer that, Tobi. But I think what you’ve accomplished so far is a huge step forward for you.”

  “I thought so too. Until tonight.”

  “Being worried doesn’t negate the progress you’ve made. It’s normal to worry about your loved ones at times.”

  “How did you do it, Mom? When Dad was in Vietnam. How did you stand it?”

  She didn’t speak immediately. “I loved him. I didn’t have a choice. I waited and I prayed every day he’d come home to me. Thank God, he did.”

  “I’m not as brave as you.”

  Her mother laughed. “No, you’re far braver than I’ll ever be. Don’t sell yourself short. That’s my advice.”

  Tobi was still worried. But she admitted that talking to her parents, especially her mother, had made her feel better. “Come on, Lucky. We’ll go to the kitchen and I’ll get you a treat. And I’ll get myself ice cream and eat it out of the carton.”

  But she felt a whole lot better after Travis called late that night and said he was back in Whiskey River, safe and sound.

  Chapter Sixteen

  For the next couple of weeks Travis spent all the time he could with Tobi. But something nagged at her and she wouldn’t or couldn’t share the problem with him. He’d accepted that he loved her weeks ago. In fact, it had been surprisingly easy to tell her. He’d wanted to tell her.

  Tobi was different. She wasn’t like so many of the women in his past. Especially not like Jessica, his ex-fiancée who’d only been out for what she could get. Feelings, real feelings, hadn’t entered into it. But he’d been grateful for a long time now that she’d left him. He’d have been purely miserable if he’d married her.

  Regardless of what he’d told Zack, he wasn’t thinking about marriage, exactly. For one thing, while Tobi had admitted she loved him, she didn’t seem totally happy about that. It wasn’t anything he could put his finger on, more of a feeling he got. Besides that, even though he loved Tobi, he wasn’t at all sure that he was ready for the big step.

  Tobi hadn’t been out to the airport again. She hadn’t asked and he hadn’t pushed. For now it was enough that she’d managed to conquer her fear enough to get on both planes while they were grounded. Maybe some day she’d try flying again. And if she didn’t, well, they’d survive.

  In the meantime, business was picking up for Devil’s Rock Charter Services. The company’s primary copilot, Nathan Kershaw, was a really nice guy who Travis enjoyed flying with. Nathan had been recommended to Travis by his original flying instructor, who Travis credited with not only teaching him to fly, but also instilling in him a real love of flying. Any recommendation from Burt Mosley was gold in Travis’s book. Today he and Nathan were flying a couple of businessmen from a nearby town to Oklahoma City.

  The trip had been scheduled at the last minute, so Travis called Tobi to let her know his plans. “Hey, are you busy?” he asked when she answered her phone.

  “A little. I’m at the clinic. Why, what’s up?”

  “I’ve got a charter flight to Oklahoma City. It’s a short flight so I should be back by dinnertime.”

  There was a short pause. Short enough that if he hadn’t been so attuned to her he’d have missed it.

  “All right. I’ll be finished here at the clinic by mid-afternoon, so let me know when you get back and we’ll go get something to eat.”

  “Sounds good. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Be careful.”

  “Always am.”

  He pocketed his phone and saw Nathan, who must have walked up while he was talking to Tobi.

  “Wife?” Nathan asked.

  “Girlfriend. You married?”

  “Nope. And I’m not likely to be for a long time, if ever.”

  “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

  “Isn’t there always?”

  “Too true,” Travis said with a grin.

  The two passengers showed up and a short time later they were on their way. The flight to Oklahoma City was a nice easy one. As it was only a little over an hour long, Travis figured he should be back in plenty of time for dinner with Tobi.

  “Do you have big plans tonight?” Travis asked Nathan once they were cruising at altitude.

  “Nah, just going to Booze’s to have a burger and some beer. And I plan to see if I can find a nice, warm woman who’s looking for the same thing I am.”

  Which, Travis assumed, meant some fun with no strings attached. “Good luck with that,” Travis said. “How long have you been living in Whiskey River?”

  “A couple of weeks. Why?”

  “No reason,” he said and grinned. Nathan would find out soon enough that while there were a number of single women in Whiskey River, there weren’t likely to be a whole lot of them who were interested in a fling with some dude they didn’t even know. But hell, he could be wrong. He hadn’t been looking, so maybe there were more than he thought.

  “What are you doing when we get back?” Nathan asked him.

  “Depending on what time we get home, I’ll either do paperwork and then go to dinner with Tobi or go to dinner with Tobi and blow off paperwork until tomorrow.”

  “That sounds exciting,” Nathan said dryly.

  “You haven’t met my girlfriend,” Travis sa
id. “I could watch paint dry with her and be happy.”

  Nathan grinned. “You’ll have to introduce me some time. What does she do?”

  “She’s one of the doctors at the Whiskey River Urgent Care clinic.”

  “So she’s smart.”

  “Very.”

  “And beautiful.”

  “Gorgeous.”

  “Lucky bastard,” Nate said and Travis laughed.

  “We’re getting close,” Nathan said. “Want me to tell the passengers to buckle up?”

  “Yes.” Travis keyed the mic. “Braker Approach, Citation Romeo-Charlie-one-niner twelve miles south inbound for landing.”

  “Citation Romeo-Charlie-one-niner, contact Braker Tower on 223.4.”

  “Braker Tower, Citation Romeo-Charlie-one-niner, on two mile final for three-two-right.”

  “Citation Romeo-Charlie-one-niner, Braker Tower clear to land three-two-right.”

  “Roger, Braker Tower. Citation clear to land three-two-right.”

  Travis started his final descent. A Piper Cherokee was taxiing, but instead of stopping at the crossroad, he kept going, until he was parked right in the middle of where Travis was going to land. Travis pulled up abruptly, missing the other plane by fifty feet or less.

  A couple of seconds after his reaction, he heard, “Citation abort. Abort landing.”

  “Roger, Braker Tower. Citation going around.” To Nathan, he said, “Check the passengers.”

  Nathan did as he asked. “They’re okay but they want to know what the hell that was. So do I.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He keyed the mic. “Braker Tower, what happened there?”

  “Citation, sorry. Piper Delta-Foxtrot-two-seven was not cleared for takeoff.”

  “No shit,” Nathan said.

  Travis kept his mouth shut. Later they’d sort out what had happened. For now it was enough that they’d avoided the crash.

  After making the circuit, Travis landed on the same runway. Empty this time.

  “You know what they say,” Travis said.

  Repeating the old axiom, Nathan said, “Any landing you walk away from is a good landing.”

  “Damn straight. But I’d still like to know how the hell that happened.”

  *

  Shortly before Tobi left work for the day, she stopped at the office the doctors shared. “Raleigh, I’m leaving now,” she told her partner who was working the second part of the day. Raleigh was a real heartthrob, dark blond hair, gray-green eyes, very good-looking, smart, and you could tell he really liked women. Pretty much all women.

  Obviously, though, he wasn’t ready to settle down. Tobi had never been involved with either of her partners, opting instead to be friends. Which was fortunate, since they worked together now.

  Raleigh was so focused on his computer she wasn’t sure he even heard her. “Raleigh?”

  He looked up and said, “Okay, but before you go, you’ve got to see this.”

  “See what?”

  “It’s a video that’s gone viral. Absolutely amazing photography.”

  She walked around to stand behind him and look at the computer. The moment she realized it was an airplane video she started to back away, but the image of the plane coming in for a landing snared her attention. It was a Cessna Citation. The same type of jet Travis flew. The very same type of plane that Travis and his copilot had flown out of Whiskey River earlier that day. It was even the same colors.

  As the jet went in for the landing, suddenly another plane appeared, taxiing across the runway, directly in the jet’s path. She stared, horrified, praying they’d miss, praying it wasn’t Travis. At the last moment the Cessna pulled up, missing the other plane by what looked like inches. Tobi stumbled away and sat in one of the other chairs in the office.

  “Somehow this guy with the cell phone managed to video this near miss perfectly,” Raleigh was saying, unaware that Tobi was nauseated and trying not to hyperventilate. “How he managed to get it at the exact moment the planes were about to crash is amazing,” he repeated.

  She didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

  Her partner looked up. “Tobi, are you all right?”

  “No.” God no, she wasn’t all right. “I can’t watch…airplanes.” She wrapped her arms around herself, as if to shield herself from the reality of that video.

  “Can’t watch airplanes? Why?”

  “I have a phobia about airplanes.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Where…where was this? Is it recent?” It couldn’t have been Travis. She was overreacting. It was probably a video from weeks ago.

  “Earlier today. A private airport in Oklahoma City.”

  No, oh, God, no. That’s where Travis went. To Oklahoma City.

  It could still be a coincidence. You don’t know that it’s Travis.

  Yes. I do.

  Aware she was in trouble, Tobi began the breathing technique she’d learned to deal with hyperventilation, breathing slowly through pursed lips. When that didn’t work she progressed to breathing through her cupped hands.

  Raleigh left the room, returning quickly with a paper bag, and handed it to her.

  She took it gratefully and breathed into it. Before long she was able to breathe normally. Crisis averted. Sort of.

  Looking concerned, Raleigh asked, “Better now?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Good. Then tell me what the hell that was about.”

  “I think that was Travis in the Cessna.”

  “Travis Sullivan? That Travis?”

  “Yes. My Travis.”

  “Damn. No wonder you had a panic attack. Are you sure it was him?”

  “Not 100 percent. But…it was him, Raleigh. I know it was Travis.”

  “You said you couldn’t watch airplanes before you realized it was Travis.”

  Raleigh wouldn’t quit until she gave him some kind of explanation. “I told you I have a phobia. Years ago I was in a plane crash. I don’t fly anymore.” Images of the crash, and its aftermath, flashed through her mind. She fought back nausea again.

  “Oh, shit. I’m really sorry, Tobi. Who could blame you?” He tilted his head, studying her. “Isn’t it a little odd that you’re dating a pilot when you can’t fly? Or even look at planes without hyperventilating?”

  That comment brought her back to the present. “Damn, Raleigh, I hyperventilated because I thought it was Travis. I don’t do that every time I see a plane, for God’s sake.” She knew she sounded bitchy but that was better than the pitiful mess she’d been only a few minutes ago.

  “Sorry. Are you all right now?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m going home.”

  “Do you really think that was Travis?”

  “I’m almost sure of it.” But he hadn’t told her. Would he? Or would he keep quiet about it?

  As she started to walk out the door, Raleigh said, “Tobi, if that was Travis, he’s a hell of a pilot.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  As soon as he flew in, Travis called Tobi from Devil’s Rock airfield. “Hi, I’m back. I’m going home to take a shower. Want me to come over afterward?”

  “I’ll come to your place.”

  “Okay. See you in a few.”

  Was it his imagination or had Tobi sounded weird? He shrugged. He’d find out when he saw her.

  Twenty minutes later he walked into his apartment. Tobi’s car had been in the parking lot so he knew she had beaten him there. “Hi. Have you been here long?” He tossed his keys on the dining room table and went to Tobi and kissed her. The instant he did he knew something wasn’t right. He held her arms and looked at her. “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

  She walked away, turned around to give him an enigmatic glance. “I can’t imagine why I would be upset,” she said, her tone flat and robotic.

  Weird again, but he was taking her at her word. “I can’t either. I’m going to take a shower. We can go get a bite to eat after that.”
He started to walk away.

  “Travis, stop.”

  He turned around. “Look, I can see you have something on your mind but can it wait until after my shower? I’m beat and I really want a shower.”

  “Of course. Take your time,” she said with cordial sarcasm.

  Again, he took her at her word, figuring they’d sort it out later. Whatever had her in a snit, they’d talk about it after his shower. He stripped off his shirt, tempted to toss it on the chair in his bedroom, which he rarely did. Instead he threw it in the dirty clothes basket. Why was he so tired? Maybe that near miss had taken more out of him than he realized.

  Nah, he thought. A miss was a miss whether it be very close or a mile apart. He put it out of his mind and got in the shower. He made it a quick one, in deference to Tobi, but he could have stayed there a lot longer. He combed his hair, decided that he didn’t really need a shave, put on a clean T-shirt and jeans and went to find Tobi.

  She was exactly where he’d left her. Sitting in his easy chair, looking anything but relaxed.

  “Okay, what’s the deal?”

  She got up and stood looking at him. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you? You were just going to pretend it never happened.”

  He had a bad feeling he knew what she was talking about, but he said, “Clue me in, Tobi. I’m tired.”

  “Yes, I imagine dodging an airplane crash by inches would take a lot out of you.”

  “Shit.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “How did you find out?” And so damn quickly.

  “It was all over the Internet.”

  “What the hell? How?”

  “There’s an amateur video of your near miss. It’s gone viral. You can’t look at anything on the web without seeing it. Go ahead, I booted up your laptop. See for yourself.”

  He went to the table and touched the touchpad to wake it up, then clicked the arrow on the video. Sure enough, it was a video capturing his plane going in for the landing, and the very moment he’d pulled up and flown over the other plane. In the first comment beneath the video some helpful person had posted where both flights had originated from. He winced. Damn, he could see how that would look even worse to a layman.